


Embers to Ashes - A Kylux Fanfic

by Trashgriffin



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Fluff, Gay Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Masturbation, Masturbation in Shower, Mutual Masturbation, Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Romance, Sex, canonverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:54:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21512611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trashgriffin/pseuds/Trashgriffin
Summary: Supreme Leader Snoke is dead. The First Order mercilessly hunts down the remainder of the Resistance. But then, Luke Skywalker shows up on Crait, helping the Resistance to escape the First Order once more. Anger, desperation and frustration crawls into the hearts of the Order. But there's something more. Slowly, the veil of Snoke's schemes is lifted. And rivals and enemies find themselves becoming lovers.
Relationships: Armitage Hux & Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Ben Solo, Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren
Kudos: 22





	1. The Victory of Failure

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfiction is a WIP. There may or may not be added certain explicit content / Archive Warnings in the future.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A ruthless general and a battle-worn knight find themselves becoming weak in the arms of love, questioning their identities.

Chapter 1: The Victory of Failure

  
  


The Resistance had escaped them again. Slipped right through their fingers in midst of their impending victory. General Armitage Hux fought, his face boiling red with rage, against the fuming temptation to lose his composure. He knew well that the morale of his troops was at stake, his inner self desperately squirmimg for emotional relief. He could not allow the sense of devastation to crash upon the souls of his soldiers just yet. Gritting his teeth, he latched on to the sight of Kylo, who had no restraints on taking his anger out on the nearest shipwreck, sparks soaring left and right as he mercilessly hacked the buzzing flame of his saber into it, screaming profanities, wishing an agonizing death upon those who had tricked him into this humiliating defeat. He had been an arm’s reach close to the ultimate power he craved. His mind could not fathom how those corpse-feeding maggots had pulled off a summoning of Luke Skywalker’s aspect, a direct insult to his desire, to his masterplan to bring the past to death. He felt betrayed by the very force that fueled his veins, that made him a slave to his unrelenting scorn. Hux couldn’t help but admire the brute, electric power radiating from the young man. The sight of his muscles bulking up beneath the black fabric in the red saberlight before each strike was bewildering, strangely soothing. Kylo’s temper tantrums had always been a reason for Armitage to look down on him, and he knew well that his troops saw it the same way. But not today. The General picked up the air of sheer bitterness, of heart-wrecking grief from in between the screams that pierced right through his thick hide. He felt the young knight breaking beneath the weight of his failure. The surrounding troops all turned their heads towards Kylo, and Hux knew that he needed to intervene, lest they would witness their new Supreme Leader give in to the gnashing jaws of emotional pain. The strength of the Order was hanging on by a mere thread. He and the knight could not afford to show any weakness in this time and place.

Kylo felt a heavy hand gripping his shoulder and whirled around in fury, the heat of his saber stopping dangerously close to a blinking General. His eyes betrayed the agonizing soul of a broken child. Never before had Hux seen something comparable in his life. Those gleaming embers in Kylo’s tear-filled glare, framed by pitch-black strands of hair sticking upon the sweat-ridden surface of his forehead. He felt his pounding heart falling a bit at the bitter sight. Swiftly regaining his stance, he glanced at Kylo with calm. “Supreme Leader”, he addressed him, causing his half-crouched stance to erect a little. “May I ask to speak with you in private”. The warm tone of Armitage’s voice dripped into the fiery cracks of Kylo’s rugged spirit, like raindrops to a thirsting soil. Was it possible? Heaving a deep breath, the young saberwielder regained his senses and pressed the red button on the heavy hilt. The crimson illuminations in the General’s eyes gave way to a shadowy green. Ren pointed a slight nod his way, not saying a word. With his face still as solid as the rocky fortress hollowed around them, Hux ordered all but a small gate-guard of the troops to continue rummaging through the abandoned hangar, in search for any information left behind by the Resistance. It was futile, for they had already searched every corner and turned every stone, metal scrap and vulptex excrement over, and found nothing but footprints. But the General’s unmoving expression always persuaded them to follow his command, for in that moment of frustration, he still stood his ground like a marble pillar in midst of the storm, the quality they sought out in their leaders the most. Silently, the General and the Supreme Leader stepped out of the gloomy cave, into the blinding white of the salty surface of Crait, avoiding each other’s eyes.

A few minutes into the orphaned land, Kylo’s features began to soften. He took a glimpse from the corner of his eye at Armitage’s still rigid face, his eyes scanning the ground in a brooding manner.

“Hux?”, the black-haired man stopped, the glistening wind tugging at his cape. The General stood still instantly, still avoiding Ren’s glance, scanning the horizon instead. “How do you do that?”

Breathing deeply in the evening air, Hux finally allowed some softness into his regard and turned his face towards Kylo, who could almost imagine a slight smile on the General’s face. “Do what?”, he asked, his voice untypically benevolent. Kylo looked at him with wondrous eyes, his mouth opening, then closing again to swallow. “You seem to not care at all, you seem… Unmoved by our defeat”, his eyes lowered down to the red streaks their boots left in the salt. Hux’s face hardened again, the shimmering horizon attracting the brightness of his eyes. After some moments of silence, he sighed and answered: “I do care”. Contemplating the General, Kylo sat down in the salt, and lowered his eyes again, drawing red lines with his gloved finger. “You think I’m weak”, he mumbled. “You have seen the weakness in my heart, the desperation in my eyes”. Rising a concerned brow, Hux turned around to him and sat down, his wrist resting on his knee. “Does the force tell you that?”, he asked. Kylo’s dark brown eyes seemed to grow even darker, despite of the last sunrays that crawled up from the ground onto his face. The embers had turned into ashes. “No. Your eyes tell me so. That’s why you asked to go outside”, he heaved. “I know you halted my outburst to protect the Order… And not me”. Ren barely hushed the last words, his chest tightening up against his throat. Hux fixed his glance upon the young man’s shoulder. A slight shiver went down the knight’s body almost unnoticeably.

A cool breeze wandered over the silent plains, playing through the two men’s hair and clothes. “You’re the Supreme Leader now, Ren. You cannot afford to lose the respect of the troops or else the Order, all that we believe in, would be done for. That’s why I intervened. And…” he silenced abruptly, turning his face the other way. Kylo gave him a puzzled look. “And what?”. Hux slowly rose to a crouch, closing the distance between the two. In a swift movement, he pinned Kylo’s shoulders down to the grainy white-red surface. The young Supreme Leader reacted by force-choking Hux, sending him tumbling backwards through the dying light. Railing himself up, he grabbed his saber, lit up its buzzing blade and stepped towards the sprawling General. Down on one knee, he grabbed him by the throat physically, forcing his torso upright. “I have dealt with traitors before, Armitage”, he snarled, lifting his saber against the pale skin of Hux’s neck. Armitage. Never before had Hux heard Kylo say his name. His heart picked up a dangerous pace. The two sat still for a second, miniature salt particles burning up inside the deadly blade. Why hadn’t Kylo striked yet? The red-haired man swallowed hard, gasping for air, gripping the merciless chokehold at the wrist. “I… I feel… your pain… Ben”. Startled by the sound of his real name, Kylo let down his guard for a split second, releasing Hux’s throat. The General moved his hands towards him, grabbed the neck of his coat and hungrily pressed his lips against Ben’s. The saber floated downwards through the air, landing with a crackling sound, its blade dying out once again. Ben, to the General’s surprise, hastily grabbed Armitage by the back of his head, hooking his fingers into his red hair and pulling them both into a deep, long kiss. He tipped backwards, allowing Hux to lay above him, and slid his tongue into the General’s wanting mouth. Their breathing turned heavy and sighing, both men working each other’s soft lips and tongues with closed eyes and hammering hearts. Ben softly bit into Armitage’s lower lip, affectionately sucking at it and returning to caress the young man’s mouth with his own, not suppressing his deep, needy moans. Hux took off his gloves without breaking the kiss and began caressing Ben’s face, hair and ears very tenderly. The young man underneath him entangled him with his legs, hips pressing hard against Armitage’s. Their lips reluctantly parted, both men panting out of breath, the General’s head falling onto the knight’s heaving chest. The General pryed himself up on his hands. Their sparkling gazes met, indulged in an otherworldly glow. A questioning look darted across Ben’s face. Hux smiled at him, lifting a hand to caress the salt-crusted cheek. “You are capable of so much more, Ben. I never thought I’d see something in you… But now I know, I do. I see more in you than Snoke could have ever fathomed”. He affectionately rubbed his nose tip against Ben’s, closing his eyes. “Let me be there for you, Ben. Allow me to mend your broken heart”. He softly caressed the young man’s cheekbone, planting another tender kiss on his luscious lips. Ben’s eyes widened. “A… Armie… I thought… I always thought you hated me”, he said, intertwining his gloved fingers with Hux’s. “All these years we’ve spent in rivalry against each other -” the red-haired man silenced his ache with a tight embrace around his waist, resting his head against Ben’s shoulder. “Forgive me, Ben. I was blind all this time. It was your strike against Snoke which parted the Veil”. For the first time in many years, a tear freed itself from Armitage’s eye, leaving a blood-red stain on the ground. He clenched Ben even tighter against his body, chest trembling and eyes shut tightly. Ben wrapped his arms around the weeping General’s shoulders and pressed his cheek into the crook of Armitage’s neck, wetting it with tears of his own.

  
  


The crackling sound of Armitage's com mercilessly forced him to part from Kylo. "General, FN-3027 speaking. Reporting an YT-1300 Light Freighter heading into hyperspace. Awaiting your command. Over". „Kriff, fuck.“ Hastily, he staggered up from Kylo's arms, whose words still echoed in his mind. "Ben...?" he offered his hand to help him up. "We've got work to do." Accepting his hand, the black-haired man stood up with a sigh, force-summonig the salt-coated saber into his hand. "When will there be peace in this goddamn galaxy..." Armitage smiled knowingly at Ben's remark, with sadness in his eyes. "Soon there will be. Once we have taken the head of this Resistance, and hung them all up, high between the starless places of the universe. The First Order shall be in control, Supreme Leader." They both took off running towards the fortress, leaving behind the red-stained salt that betrayed where they had laid.

A storm had risen upon the surface of the abandoned mining planet. Salt particles were hauled into the air, covering all sight in a dense mist. "My General!", the guard trooper shouted, adding a hasty "Uh, Supreme Leader!" when he saw Kylo parting through the white veil behind him. "FN-3027, what is your report?", the General said, using a gloveless hand to brush his hair back into position. Kylo stood, his cape waving in the wind; cold, dark eyes spying through the whirling salt. "Sir, the YT-1300 Freighter has escaped into hyperspace. With all due respect, this storm is too dangerous to hold position", the trooper panted. "I see", Hux replied, "gather the troops, we're leaving this place for now". The trooper left with a salute and Hux began to shelter his face from the accelerated, razor-sharp crystals with the lining of his coat. "General", Kylo shouted to him, "I'll give you shelter. Let's get moving". Pulling the hood of his coat over his head, he extended his cape around Hux's shoulders, keeping him close while they stepped forward against the roaring wind.

Back in the security of the Finalizer, General Hux was found brooding above his digipad, brows furrowed, his hat leaning steeply into his forehead, concealing a pulsing vein. His left hand tapping the screen with an idle finger, he thoughtfully lifted his right hand to rub his chin, when cold, gloved fingertips stopped on his lips. His face fell. Letting go of the digipad with a deep-chested sigh, he allowed it to tip over onto the jet-black surface. His mind summoned images of the happenings on Crait. Not of their failure, or of the legendary correlian light freighter that seemed to have vanished from any tracking technology, causing Hux to suffer an excruciating headache. Only Ben. The Embers in those dark brown eyes. The electrifying touch of his lips on Armitage's own. The salt-grained texture of his black hair. Back in the familiar surroundings of the command bridge, the thought seemed surreal. But it was enough to make his chest feel tight. The General rose from his chair, absently rubbing his temples. The bridge appeared unusually silent, almost desolate. "Sir?", he saw the questioning eyes of the young technician widening as he stepped towards him. With the heavy hand of the General landing on his shoulder, the subordinate nervously erupted into a hasty explanation to how he had not been able to track down the freighter yet. But he stopped dead on track when he felt Hux giving him a light pat, saying no more than: "Keep up the good work". Puzzled gazes followed Armitage as he left the bridge through the airlock.

The icy-cold splash of water pushed Hux back into the reality he found himself in. The droplets ran down his skin, absorbing the heat before helplessly plummeting down onto the glossy-black surface of the sink. The General was leaning on his hands, taking a few deep breaths before considering his reflection. An unusually weary-looking young man greeted his gaze from the other side of the mirror, his hair come undone, flaring nostrils pointing outwards between discreet freckles and pale-shaded skin. Their right hands met; a cold and frigid touch. The sudden shimmer of a tear in the corner of his eye caused Armitage to break away, turning his back on the reflection, towards his private chamber's shower. _//Get it together, Armitage._ _Whatever it was, it‘s over. You cannot allow such feelings to blind your senses._ _The Order relies on you...//_ Submerged in deep thought, the young General proceeded to strip out of his uniform, revealing numerous scars from past battles and conquered enemies. Not all battles in his life had been fought out on the battlefield.

He dumped his clothes into a hole in the wall and started the shower with steaming-hot water, as he always did. Normally, he would end it with an ice-cold rinse to toughen his nerves back up for duty. But in the wake of Phasma's severe injury and the complete vanishing of the Resistance right before their eyes, the Order would need to reorganize itself before proceeding with a new plan, with newfound strength and determination. And then... Then there was Ben.

Armitage grunted, slamming his fist against the transparisteel at the thought of the dark-haired man. The more he tried to concentrate his thoughts upon his duty, the stronger the images of Ren became. Leaning his back against the wall and sliding down to a sit, cowering over his knees in the steam that unfolded around him. What was Ben doing right now...? Was he brooding upon his throne? Or scanning through ancient holocrons? Was he resting in his chambers, and... Was he all alone...?

Kylo tried to suppress a groan despite of the splashing water drowning out any sound from inside the shower. The thick walls of his private chambers were isolated, yet he felt exposed, as if someone were eavesdropping on him, on the muffled whispers inside of his mind. Squeezing his member gently, he reached his climax, painting the floor white with strands of semen. He collapsed onto the tiles, turning to lie on his side. The voice of the General immediately returned to haunt his mind, causing shivers running through his nerves, the gleaming pulse of embers filling his eyes. The solitude he had always found restful shelter in had turned into a cold cell. It couldn't possibly be. The Master of the Knights of Ren, the Supreme Leader, he, of all people in the galaxy, needed no one... _//Ben...//_ , it echoed through his head, breaking the volatile shell of his mind before it could even manifest. As he lay there, vulnerable and naked, hands clenched around his forehead, the truth invaded his veins like a burning sting, his craving spirit embracing the pain it brought.

Out there, in the abandoned salt fields of Crait, glory and defeat had peculiarly converged.


	2. Resonating Dissonance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kylo and Hux are giving in to their feelings. Both being wildly inexperienced in love, they decide to give it a shot. But no one must know.

Chapter 2: Resonating Dissonance

Hux's eyelids twitched as he woke up to the alarm of his datapad. An incoming comm. He hastily swung his legs out of the bed, rubbed a hand across his face and grabbed the illuminated device. It was Lieutenant Dopheld Mitaka interrupting his schedule. What could be so important? Had they finally spotted the freighter? He pressed the response button, regardless of his bare skin. "This had better be important, Lieutenant." - "Ye-yes, um, S-sir! You - uh - are... being expected in the throne room, S-supreme Leader's o-orders!" Armitage's eyes widened at the blue-tinted shape of the stuttering young fellow.

Ben. Was expecting him.

Clearing his throat, he replied to Mitaka: "Understood. And, Lieutenant? Please give our Supreme Leader my regards, that the interruption of schedules is nothing to be amused of." He tried to appear as disciplined and streamlined as he was known, though his facade was cracking under the anticipation, the worry about what would happen next. Clearly he had gone too far, confessing love for another human being in these times of war, allowing himself to that feebleness of a deep affection that he carried for Ben inside his stone-cold heart. Armitage felt detached from himself, torn between the burden of his high rank, the tough scarring of his battered spirit and... The innocent soul inside of him, that had been locked behind a wall of humiliation, arms ever outstretched in so much longing. Longing to be loved for his true self. It was ridiculous. Yes, it was disgraceful, abominable. Yet he could not bring himself to deny this horrible dependency, the sickening, constant tugging of a maelstrom pulling him back to the red streaks in the salt, the dazzling perception of Ben's mouth upon his lips.

As the airlock finally split apart before his eyes, the cold light from the corridor weaving itself around the General's sharp silhouette, Kylo almost gasped out loudly, the clenching anticipation easening around his chest. His eyes gleamed at the visitor in the low illumination of the floorlights. Rising from his throne he addressed the man, reluctantly revealing a trembling nervosity in his throat. "General Hux." "Supreme Leader."

Their gazes found each other. Kylo stepped down, his gait unrecognizably insecure. Hux recognized the familiar gloom in the knight's now almost ebony eyes. The shimmer of tears sent a sting through the General's chest, making him swallow dry and rearrange his lips, leaving but a small gap between them. Oh no. There it was again… Kylo, he seemed to plunge into the ocean of jade in Armitage's eyes, losing himself inside the pitch black void of reluctantly staring pupils. Heaving a shivering breath, the Supreme Leader took a step towards the General, lifting only a hand. As the warmth approached Hux's cheek, ripples of tenderness splashing upon his face, he could not resist. His heart began to race, his lungs trembling, lips burning to press themselves against Kylo's. Against Ben's.

His gloved fingers reached out, grazed against the crevices and cracks, studying the topography of the knight's trembling mouth. Ren's brow suddenly furrowed as if in pain, eyes shutting, teeth blocking a silent whimper.

"How...?" Kylos head tilted downwards, knees caving in, his hands gripping around the General's wrists, pulling him down with him. Hux hastily reacted by trying to catch his fall, when the knight's lids opened up again, setting free a stream of tears. Armitage held his hands against Kylo's cheeks, wanting to hold him. "Ben, I -" The Knight's dark eyes darted upwards into Hux's face as he interrupted the General. "How can it be... That my mask is futile against your eyes? How can you look at me like this, and not back away?"

Armitage didn't know. He couldn't explain to himself what made him offer his embrace to that beaten-down spirit. Or why this overt display of weakness ignited affection within him. It was way too human for a man of his reputation. A truly human weakness of the ruthless General Hux.

Yet he couldn't deny the urge to cradle the knight between his arms, to offer himself to the fragility and madness of loving another soul.

"You're beautiful, Ben... That is all I know." He caressed Ren's cheekbone, wiping the tears off of the scarred skin. "I... I just don't know where I belong anymore… And I know you feel the same. Hux, have we gone too far?"

"Stars know... But I don't want it any other way."

Their lips united in the void of the throne room, hands curling around each other's heads, pulling closer, tongues pushing deeper. Breathing into the General's mouth, Ben undid the red-haired man's collar, his fingers searching the surface of pale skin, streaks of scars and freckles draping over thin muscle and bone. The General moaned as the warmth of the man's tongue tickled the space between his neck and collarbones. It wandered to the left, all while uncovering Hux's shoulder, then downwards to meet his pectorals. "Ahhhh... Ben... What are you doing...?" Licking at the hardened, pink nipple, he whispered: "I want to belong... I don't know what I believe in anymore, but... I think it could be you..." The General's fingers dug themselves into the dark hair, almost demanding for the man to do more. And he understood. Just like himself, Kylo Ren was a man of "all or nothing", of „victory or death“. They both detested leaving things unfinished. A beautiful connection they hadn't dared considering before. Just as Kylo‘s tongue was sliding down towards his hips, he pulled the man‘s face upwards, staring him dead in the eye. „Ben. I want it all.“


End file.
